Hoard of bronze trulla from Almus and the Dacian wars of Domitian
Hoard of bronze trulla from Almus and the Dacian wars of Domitian

Summary/Abstract: The article examines a hoard of four bronze vessels, discovered by chance in the modern town of Lom, Northwest Bulgaria. One of them bears a stamp of P CIPI POLIBI (or POLIBII). Based on analogies the time of its burial can be placed in the 80s of the 1st century AD. At this time a fort of an auxiliary unit existed nearby roughly between the reign of Claudius and the Flavians. It corresponds with the earliest cultural layer of the site (labeled ALMVS I). From it several archaeological features were excavated: probably part of the earthen wall, street or via sagularis and barracks. The street is disturbed by a pit used for a burial of a horse. All of the features are heavily burned. The archaeological material dates this destruction to the late 1st century AD with the latest coin of Domitian. The current archaeological data from Northwestern Bulgaria and Northeastern Serbia supports a Dacian breakthrough in this general area during the reign of Domitian. The author believes it is possible that the hoarding of the bronze vessels and the destruction of the camp are the result of the massive raid in AD 84/85 in which the governor of the province was killed. Several decades later the ruins of the Early Imperial fort were leveled by river sand and upon it a Roman vicus was built.

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